Kade sucks in a deep breath, his nose against Felix’s skin, and maybe they shouldn’t be doing this, splayed out half-naked on the kitchen floor. “When are you stopping the scent suppressants?”
“Maybe after I leave,” Felix says. After you can’t smell me anymore. So you won’t hate me.
Kade sighs, burying his face in Felix’s shoulder. For a moment, it feels as though his alpha is vulnerable like that, pressed against him, his face hidden. Kade hasn’t been vulnerable with him in a long time. Then he pulls away, his eyes solemn, and maybe Felix didn’t need to worry about him at all.
Kade slips out of his body, his knot receded, his cock still hard. He tucks it back into his pants, and Felix drags his eyes away from the bulge of it. “Guess I should go.”
“Take some soup with you,” Felix says, sitting up. “You haven’t had any.”
Kade’s expression brightens slowly, like a growing flame. “You have containers?”
“Yeah. I’ll look for them.” Felix climbs to his feet, bare skin squeaking against the tiles. Kade’s stare lingers on him, a warm, steady touch. Felix swallows. He pulls a microwavable dish out from a lower cabinet, his legs bare, secretly glad for the bulky sweater hiding his belly.
Kade grabs Felix’s abandoned clothes then, holding them while Felix scoops simmering soup into the bowl. He fixes a lid onto it, sets it into two plastic bags just in case, and hands the bowl over to Kade in exchange for his clothes.
“Thanks for coming over,” Felix says, smiling. His body aches pleasantly; he’ll be feeling this two days from now.
Kade shrugs, his gaze flickering over Felix’s face. “No worries.”
At the door, Kade steps in close, leaving inches between them. Felix’s breath snags when Kade leans in, kissing him on the lips. His breath puffs against Felix’s cheek, their lips brushing soft and light. Felix’s stomach drops. He doesn’t know what this means, whether it’s a thank you or something else, and he’s still standing at the door as Kade pulls away on his bike, its engine purring.
Maybe he shouldn’t still be in Meadowfall. His gut says he needs to leave, and he... doesn’t want to.
23
Kade 20 Years Ago
The dried blood stays a dark red on his wrist as Kade rides home with his mom. During the drive, she smiles, watching as he picks at his skin.
“I’m happy to know that you’re an alpha,” she says, glancing at the road. “But you’ll have to remember: being alpha does not make you better, or worse than anyone else.”
“Dad says it’s a good thing.” His dad has been grinning when he says, I’m sure you’re gonna be an alpha, kid. Kade has smiled along with him, squirming with excitement.
“People see alphas one way, and omegas another. And betas are different, too. But that doesn’t mean an omega can’t be a leader. There will just be more work involved.”
Kade thinks about Felix smelling like lavender. He doesn’t know if it’s because they’ve been friends so long, or if it’s because he’s exchanged bites with Felix, but Felix smells good to him. “Is that why Felix’s dad doesn’t like him? Felix says his dad isn’t nice.”
Mom looks over at him, her smile fading. “Felix’s father is an important person. He’s the mayor. People want him to fulfill their demands, and he has to make promises to different communities. As the mayor’s son, people will expect things from Felix, if he chooses to follow his father into politics. I believe Mr. Henry is trying to groom him into that position.”
It sounds like gibberish to Kade. “Show me your bonding mark again!”
She smiles, extending her left wrist to him while she drives. Kade holds his forearm next to hers, comparing the marks. Mom’s scar is bigger than his, silvery, while his is still a dark red line. Felix hadn’t bitten very hard at all. “That bond is for life, you know.”
He grins with pride. “I know that. I said I’ll protect Felix no matter what, just like Dad said to you.”
Mom chuckles. “You’re very sure, huh? Most people don’t decide until they’re much older.”
Kade nods. He likes Felix. And Felix had felt warm, curled up against him. “Yeah.”
“At some point, bondmates are expected to marry. Or at least be life partners. You’ll fit into Felix’s life just like he fits into yours, and in the future, the two of you may decide to have children.”
Kade looks down at his mark, thinking about his brothers. Sam and Chris are enough—he doesn’t want another baby he has to take care of. “Don’t wanna,” he says. “But I guess if Felix wants one, I don’t mind.”
She laughs, steering them into their driveway, next to a tiny house with roses along the lawn. “Talk to Felix about it sometime. But you’ll want to wait until you’re at least twenty before making the big decisions, okay? Take your time to decide what you really want.”
Kade nods, rubbing his thumb over the dried blood. “Yeah, okay. I’ll talk to him.”
24
Kade 6 years ago
It isn’t until they’re twenty-four that Kade talks about children again.
They have their own little house now, a single-bedroom cottage with weeds in their front yard and a grassy patch at the back, shaded by some trees. Felix’s father has visited them all of once, ever since they moved into this place. Kade never forgets his narrowed eyes, the contempt with which he glanced at their furniture.
Alastor Henry has never approved of this relationship, and it hurts most when they walk by a kindergarten with cheerful sunflowers painted on the walls, Felix sighing at the children on the slides. Kade wants Felix’s father to be happy for him, like his own dad has been to Kade. Felix deserves more love from Alastor. Often, it seems the only way he can do that is by
